Thread: Texas nurse admits to shooting mom, abducting baby

Texas nurse admits to shooting mom, abducting baby


Verna Deann McClain

By JUAN A. LOZANO and MICHAEL GRACZYK
Associated Press

SPRING, Texas (AP) - A nurse has admitted to fatally shooting a young mother in a town near Houston and abducting the dying woman's newborn son whom she apparently intended to adopt, authorities said Wednesday.


Baby Keegan


Verna McClain is charged with capital murder in the killing of 28-year-old Kala Marie Golden. Witnesses saw a woman repeatedly shoot Golden on Tuesday afternoon in the parking lot of a pediatric clinic in Spring. She then drove away with Golden's 3-day-old son Keegan who was found Tuesday evening, unharmed, at a home with McClain's sister, authorities said.

According to a Montgomery County arrest record, McClain, 30, admitted to shooting Golden and taking Keegan to Harris County, where the baby was subsequently found. Houston is in Harris County and McClain listed an address in the city as her home, according to jail records.

McClain gave authorities information that only the shooter would know, according to the arrest record.

She is being held without bail.

The Montgomery County Sheriff's office said in a statement that officers found Keegan with Corina Jackson, McClain's sister. Jackson told investigators that McClain told her she would need to "do the adoption," according to the county record.

Witnesses say an argument broke out between Golden and another woman on Tuesday afternoon as Golden left Northwoods Pediatric Center in Spring, about 20 miles north of Houston.

The woman repeatedly shot Golden then snatched Keegan from her and began to drive away in a blue or light green Lexus, according to witness accounts. The dying woman leaned into the vehicle and tried to take Keegan back, screaming "My baby!" but her attacker sped away.

Phil Grant, the first assistant district attorney in Montgomery County, told The Associated Press that the shooting appeared to be random, but declined to comment further.

Montgomery County District Attorney Brett Ligon told ABC's "Good Morning America" that McClain's statement to investigators indicates she shot the mother as part of a wider plan to kidnap any child and that Golden was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"There were statements as indicated in the arrest record that were made by Ms. McClain that led us to believe that, in fact, this was an intentional act on her part," Ligon said. "Not that Ms. Golden was targeted specifically, but that this was part of a plan to kidnap a child."

He made no mention of a man whom witnesses said they saw in the blood-splattered Lexus. The sheriff's office said authorities do not believe a second suspect is at large.

Ligon said Child Protective Service officials were looking after Keegan but that they expected the baby to soon be reunited with his father.

Keegan's father, Keith Schuchardt, told the Houston Chronicle that he and Golden had been married for three years. Schuchardt said he learned of the shooting because as Golden lay dying she asked another woman to call him and tell him what had happened.
"I loved her, and she loved me," Schuchardt told Houston television station KHOU. "Everything was going fine until today."

On Tuesday evening, officers with guns and riot shields raided an apartment near the clinic after a detective noticed a parked vehicle that matched witness descriptions of the Lexus, according to the sheriff's office.

McClain, a vocational nurse, is not employed by the Northwoods Pediatrics Center, according to a receptionist at the clinic, Jackie Longoria.

Golden's mother, Linda Golden, told the AP that she had been baby-sitting another of Kala's sons when someone at the scene called her using her daughter's cellphone. She rushed to the clinic but was unable to see her daughter because paramedics were trying to save her.

"I wanted to kiss her before they put her in the ambulance," Linda Golden said.

Linda Golden said she had no idea what could have sparked the slaying and abduction.

"That's the hardest she's ever fought," Linda Golden said. "She died trying to save her baby."
Texas nurse admits to shooting mom, abducting baby - Local News - Clarksburg, WV - msnbc.com

Nurse who told relatives she was adopting baby 'gunned down new mother and ripped three-day-old son from her arms as she was leaving doctor's office'

• Kayla Marie Golden, 28, shot dead in Houston suburb of Spring
• Registered nurse Verna Deann McClain, 30, has been arrested
• The mother of three told her sister she was about to adopt a baby
  
• Baby Keegan Schuchardt driven away as dying mother cried: 'My baby!'
  
• Child found 'alive and well' after SWAT team stormed nearby apartment
• Another person of interest being questioned by police

By Daily Mail Reporter


PUBLISHED: 20:08 EST, 17 April 2012 | UPDATED: 17:23 EST, 18 April 2012


Arrest: Verna McClain has been charged with capital murder in the killing of 28-year-old Kala Marie Golden, after she shot her and stole her baby

A mother was shot dead by a nurse who kidnapped her newborn baby.
Kayla Golden, 28, was blasted seven times with a handgun when Verna McClain reportedly pulled up alongside her in a car.
Despite her injuries she tried to stop McClain snatching three day-old Keegan but was knocked to the ground and later died.
Police eventually traced McClain – who had reportedly targeted Miss Golden at random – to a home near Houston, Texas. Keegan was found safe and well.
According to U.S. reports, McClain – a mother of three – had in recent weeks told her family she was adopting a child.
After allegedly killing Miss Golden she told her sister Corina Jackson she now had a fourth child in her family.
McClain is now facing a capital murder charge which means she could be given the death penalty if convicted.
The horror began when Miss Golden took Keegan to her local paediatrician in Houston for a routine check-up on Tuesday afternoon. McClain and an unidentified male passenger are said to have pulled up alongside Miss Golden’s pick-up truck in their blue Lexus before she opened fire.


Plan: McClain (pictured right with her sister Corina) had told her sister she was about to adopt a baby







Taken: Keegan Schchardt (left) was snatched after his mother Kayla Golden, 28, (right) was fatally shot


Witnesses described the sound as being like ‘pop pop pop’ and that even after being shot blood-stained Miss Golden managed to try to grab her baby back.
Lieutenant Dan Norris of the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office said: ‘The child was being put into the suspect vehicle and that’s when the mother tried to get into the car.
‘The car sped away, knocking the lady to the ground.’
The Lexus was traced to McClain’s sister’s house in Houston and when a SWAT team burst in they found Keegan. From there investigators were able to find McClain herself in another home just outside the city.
According to a police affidavit obtained by ABC News, McClain has admitted to the shooting and told her sister that she did it because she wanted to ‘adopt’ another child.
Search: Officers enter an apartment where they found a woman speaking to the suspect on the phone




Closing in: Officers had tracked the blue Lexus used as a getaway car back to the apartment



Officers take cover behind a car at the apartment complex while SWAT team members broke down the door


She already has three children aged six, ten and 16.
The killing comes only a day after Keegan’s father Keith Schuchardt posted pictures on his Facebook page announcing the baby’s birth.
He wrote: ‘Baby keegan is here. born 4/14/12 6 lbs 15 oz, 20 inches long. Looks like me lol.’ According to U.S .reports he has not even signed the child’s birth certificate yet.
Keegan is currently in the care of social services and his family are waiting for a full background check on them to be finished before they can have the child back.

Support: The baby's father, Keith Schuchardt, is comforted by friends and family outside his home






Grief: Mr Schuchardt said how much he loved Golden and how they'd been excited about their future


The baby’s grandmother Linda Golden said she rushed to the scene but was not there in time to say goodbye to her daughter.
She said: ‘I wanted to kiss her before they put her in the ambulance. She died trying to save her baby.’
Montgomery County District Attorney Brett Ligon said Miss Golden was in the wrong place at the wrong time and that McClain just wanted any child to add to her family.
He said: ‘There were statements as indicated in the arrest record that were made by Miss McClain that led us to believe that, in fact, this was an intentional act on her part.

Caught: McClain (pictured right with her sister Yoki) has three children and is a registered nurse












Proud: Golden with Mr Schuchardt, who had announced the birth of their son on Facebook on Saturday

‘Not that Miss Golden was targeted specifically, but that this was part of a plan to kidnap a child.’
McClain’s alleged male accomplice was also arrested but had not been charged last night.
Collecting evidence: Ms Golden's sandals sit beneath her pickup truck at the pediatrician's office where she was gunned down

Crime scene: Miss Golden's car red pickup truck sits in the parking lot of the pediatric clinic, its doors still open


See below for video
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Read more:

• Baby Keegan Schuchardt Kidnapping: Suspect Facing Capital Charges
• Houston Chronicle: Newborn abducted found safe; mom killed at Woodlands child clinic
• Nurse Kidnapped Baby After Miscarriage

Read more: Verna Deann McClain: Nurse 'shot Kayla Marie Golden and ripped baby son from her arms' | Mail Online

It happened in Houston, Texas --- black on white crime --- and reported in United Kingdom on April 17.

Has this made national news in US? It certainly should, but probably won't! And I'm not even asking about three weeks of continuous news!